The next evolution The wireless way to agility and productivity with 5G. By Tom Richter
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ince the invention of the steam engine and the assembly line, manufacturers have been at the forefront of the industrial revolution. Recently, they have begun investing in advanced automation technologies such as autonomous robotics, IoT, artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML) and digital twins. Often referred to as Industry 4.0, this group of technologies also crucially depends on network connectivity, with wireless preferred in the future. There are several different wireless network options, but 5G is justifiably getting most of the attention these days.
cables. It is deterministic, which means that operational technology (OT) personnel can specify specific parameters that must be met. This contrasts with a typical wireless technology like Wi-Fi, which is non-deterministic and ‘best-effort’ by standard. For most automated manufacturing use cases, deterministic communications are preferable, if not essential. 5G has been specifically designed for industrial use cases with the ability to achieve ultra-low latencies (in the 1ms range), very high bandwidth (e.g., for video and augmented reality) and massive machine-type communications.
Cutting the cable
Sensors, sensors, sensors
Manufacturers today are looking for ways to become more agile and responsive to shifting demand. The globalization of markets and supply chains has increased efficiencies, but it has also created greater swings in demand and supply trends. A major driver of Industry 4.0 adoption is the ability to pivot quickly, either to match demand or adjust to supply chain issues. Traditionally, assembly lines have relied heavily on communications based on cabling. Technologies like Ethernet provide the speed, security and low latency for critical machine-to-machine communications. The downside of Ethernet cabling, however, is that it is expensive to re-wire the facility when re-tooling and has no solution for mobile assets. What makes 5G especially interesting is that it can match the bandwidth, reliability and latency performance of Ethernet with no
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One of the key trends in advanced manufacturing is low-powered sensors capable of running on five-to-ten year batteries or using energy harvested from other processes.These industrial IoT (IIoT) devices are rapidly proliferating throughout the manufacturing process.They capture data on every conceivable process, and play an important role in automation. Wiring thousands of sensors and instrumentation is costly and time-consuming. Thus, manufacturers use specific IIoT wireless communications systems, such as long-range wide area (LoRA) designed for low-power IIoT connectivity. 5G can also handle low-power sensor communications. However, because it draws more power, it usually complements other lowpowered wireless technologies. Use cases for 5G include sensors that only need to update occasionally, are located farther away, aren’t
